Beverage Container

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a drinking container with an interior space for receiving a liquid with a container opening that is arranged preferably at the top side, in which a mixing device is mounted, which consists of a movable wire element. The invention is characterized in that the wire element is embodied as a flat elastic spiral ( 3 ), which is mounted with one end on the drinking container ( 7 ) or the closure element thereof, while the other end of the spiral ( 3 ) ends freely in the container space. Thereby the spiral ( 3 ) is embodied so that it is freely swingingly movable at least in a linear direction in the container interior space due to a container motion and its self-weight.

The invention relates to a drinking or beverage container according tothe preamble of the patent claim 1.

Presently there are numerous shakers, mixing cups and bottles that areprovided for the intermixing of various different ingredients. Theseingredients are usually powder and liquid. These shakers or mixing cupsare supposed to make possible or improve the intermixing of theseingredients. For this, one fills the substances to be intermixed intothe mixing container and closes it with a lid element. Through a shakingmotion that is preferably carried out with the hand, the substances inthe mixing container are intermixed with one another.

In order to make possible an improved intermixing, these mixingcups/shakers are offered with various different auxiliary elementsand/or with a special shape or form design.

Presently various different ones of these devices are known. A currentpopular model would be the shaker with insertable beating screen. Thisscreen is fixed on or inserted in the container opening preferablybefore the intermixing and after filling the mixing container with thesubstances that are to be intermixed.

Thereafter the mixing container is closed with the lid element.Thereafter the filled-in substances, usually liquid and powder, aremoved through the screen by the shaking motion. Thereby an improvedintermixing takes place. These insertable screen elements are mostlyarranged in a grid or turbine shape.

A further device for improving the intermixing process are speciallyshaped, curved or oscillating inner walls in the mixing container. Thesespecial walls are preferably provided on the inner area of the lidelement or on the floor of the cup element.

During the shaking process, these stated walls cause a certaindetermined motion or progression of the substances. Due to this swirlingor whirlpool-like motion of the substances, the liquid and powder orliquid and liquid intermix better.

A further device is known from a U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,032. A freelymovable, non-fixed, grid-shaped produced metal ball optimizes theintermixing of the filled-in substances, in that it moves in the innerarea through the interior space of the mixing container during theshaking motion. Due to its smaller shape and its own self-weight, itmoves further in the interior space of the mixing container in thedirection of the shaking motion being carried out, even if thesubstances (liquid/powder) to be intermixed are stopped by the wallboundary, and it improves the intermixing of the substances due to itsgrid-like fine-meshed body. The variant actually produced as a productis known as BlenderBottle (www.blenderbottle.com).

All of these devices have their advantages, but also weaknesses. Forexample, the screen to be inserted is quickly gummed-up with hard-to-mixsubstances, due to a lack of a self-motion. However, in the intermixingunder normal conditions the screen guarantees an optimal mixing behaviordue to its very tightly spaced meshes.

The BlenderBall from the known US patent provides a good result evenwith hard-to-intermix substances, and a gumming-up is prevented by itsself-motion in the mixing container. However, the BlenderBall is not sofine-meshed as a grid screen, and due to its small size it is not assurfacially covering as a screen.

Therefore, it is the underlying object of the invention, to combine theadvantages of both devices in one element.

This object is achieved by the invention set forth in patent claim 1.Further advantageous example embodiments of the invention are set forthin the dependent claims.

The invention has the advantage that the intermixing is optimized due tothe movability of the spiral-shaped insertable auxiliary element, inthat it avoids a gumming-up due to the motion in the interior spaceduring the shaking process, but acts like a screen upon the returnmotion.

Advantageously, the spiral shape becomes smaller in diameter in thecondition pulled out toward the cup bottom, and thus fits optimally tothe shape of the most common present shaker models, and thus guaranteesan optimal surface coverage.

Additionally, the spiral is easy to clean and to insert. For the samemixing result, normally two auxiliary elements (screen/ball) would haveto be inserted and cleaned.

The invention will be described in further detail in connection with anexample embodiment, which is illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1: shows a spiral-shaped device for the improvement of the mixingresult with device for fixing;

FIG. 1 a: shows a spiral-shaped device for the improvement of the mixingresult with device for insertion;

FIG. 1 b: shows material agglomerations preferably centrally arranged (Acone/B half-sphere/C screen or grid/D spider shape);

FIG. 2: shows a cup element/container;

FIG. 3: shows a spiral motion during the shaking process in thedirection toward the cup bottom;

FIG. 4: shows the spiral motion/condition during the shaking process inthe direction toward the lid element.

In FIG. 1, a spiral-shaped device is shown, which can be fixed with itsfixing device (1) preferably on the lid element or on the containeropening. That can preferably be achieved by insertion or plugging-in.Due to the spiral shape (3), a screen-like or sieve-like structurearises, which comprises mesh-like through openings (4). A materialthickening (2) is located preferably arranged in the center, in order tostrengthen the self-motion of the spiral in the direction toward the cupbottom during the shaking process.

FIG. 1 a illustrates the same spiral-shape device, with the difference,that the fixing device is now preferably designed as a collar or crown(5) for laying in contact on a device in the cup element. A furtherdifference relative to the model in FIG. 1 is that the materialthickening in the center of the spiral is omitted, but the same effectof the strengthened self-motion is achieved with a material thickeningin the entire extent of the spiral arm or by a special selection of aheavier material.

In FIG. 1 b, various different models of the material thickening. FIG. Ashows pyramid-like device, which points downwardly and thus to separateor disperse the water masses in the shake itself.

In FIG. B, a half sphere is shown, which also points downwardly andshall achieve the same effect like FIG. A.

FIG. C shows a material thickening in the form of a screen or sieve, inorder to achieve a further improvement in the mixing behavior. Anadvantage in this device is that it involves a moving screen, because itsprings up and down during the shaking process.

In FIG. D, a spider-shaped spiral is shown. This is to improve theoptical effect, and act or seem like a spider in the web.

In FIG. 2, the cup element is shown, which preferably maintains theshape that is typical in the market. Due to the spacing distances of thecup side walls (8/9) becoming smaller toward the bottom or floor, theshape of the cup is fitted or adapted to the tapering progression of theswung spiral. Preferably the lid element is fixed on the containeropening at the top (7) by a threading or a plug-in device.

In FIG. 3, the course of the spiral (10) during the shaking process inthe direction toward the cup bottom or floor is illustrated. Due to thespiral shape and the therefore ever-tapering or tightening course in theextended or pulled-out condition, the spiral is thus fitted or adaptedto the downwardly tapering course of the container.

In FIG. 4, the course of the spiral (11) during the shaking process inthe direction toward the lid element is illustrated. The spiral now hasa screen or sieve shape, because it is not extended or pulled out. Thiscan be achieved in that the lid element is arranged so that only a smallmotion play or clearance space is permitted. A further possibility wouldbe that the character of the spiral is to be designed so that it has alarger motion play or clearance space toward the cup bottom and asmaller motion play or clearance space toward the lid element.

1. Drinking container with an interior space for receiving a liquid witha container opening arranged preferably on a top side, in which a mixingdevice is mounted, which consists of a movable wire element,characterized in that the wire element is embodied as a flat elasticspiral (3), which is mounted with one end on the drinking container (7)or the closure element thereof, while the other end of the spiral (3)ends freely in the container space, whereby the spiral (3) is embodiedso that it is freely swingingly movable at least in a linear directionin the container interior space due to a container motion and itsself-weight.
 2. Drinking container according to claim 1, characterizedin that the spiral (3) comprises a preferably centrally arrangedmaterial agglomeration as a weight element.
 3. Drinking containeraccording to claim 2, characterized in that the material agglomerationis constructed cone-shaped.
 4. Drinking container according to claim 2,characterized in that the material agglomeration is arrangedspider-shaped.
 5. Drinking container according to claim 2, characterizedin that the material agglomeration is constructed grid-shaped orscreen-shaped. 6-10. (canceled)
 11. The drinking container according toclaim 1, further comprising at least one fixing element that is adaptedto fixedly mount the one end of the flat elastic spiral and that isapplied on the container at the container opening or in the closureelement.
 12. The drinking container according to claim 1, wherein thecontainer has a shape that tapers narrower toward a container bottom ofthe container.
 13. The drinking container according to claim 1, whereinthe flat elastic spiral exhibits a motion play of the other end thereofwhich is embodied larger toward a container bottom of the container thantoward the closure element.
 14. The drinking container according toclaim 1, wherein the other end of the flat elastic spiral is movablewithin a motion play space in the container interior space, and themotion Play space is limited by a flat extending portion of the closureelement.
 15. The drinking container according to claim 1, wherein theflat elastic spiral consists of an elastic metal or a synthetic plastic.